Perceptions of Service Quality in a Mixed Audience Environment

Abstract

The gay population has become an increasingly in-demand consumer group in the United States (Iwata, 2006). The rapidly growing awareness of the gay consumer evidences an understanding that the preferences and purchasing behavior of this group may provide significant benefits to organizations seeking to reach gay individuals. Major areas of advertising currently targeted toward gay consumers include real estate, non-medical services, arts and entertainment, and travel; however, the largest category by far is eat and drink, which includes gay bars (Prime Access Inc. & Rivendell Media, 2006). There appears to be a weakness in the literature as it relates to mixed audiences (gay and straight customers) with regards to the factors that relate to their overall satisfaction, and the satisfaction of the majority group (homosexuals) in regards to the presence of the “mixing” group (heterosexuals) within a gay bar. This study details an exploratory factor analysis which revealed three components (Responsiveness, Reliability and Tangibles) that explain 63.9% of the variance. Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results indicate a statistically significant difference between men and women, regardless of sexual orientation. An additional MANOVA procedure demonstrated a statistically significant difference between gay males and gay females. An ANOVA procedure with a Bonferroni post hoc test showed that gay males in their 20’s are more satisfied with a mixed audience environment than gay males in their 30’s and 40’s. This study concludes that more research is needed in the area of mixed audience environments, and between gay and straight customers.